The Psychotic Payback

The monster inside

I woke up in the middle of the night.

Shadow - Why does it look so late? What the...

I tried to get up but I couldn't. Then I noticed I was tied to the bedroom. Like... Literally, tied the BEDROOM. Hands were tied to the walls, my feet went over the bed and were tied on the floor; my torso was the only thing stuck to the bed and it was with a metal restraint of some sort. I screamed to the attention of anyone in the house. Jim, Dave, anyone.

Shadow - Jim! Dave! I swear to Jesus, Dave. If this is because of you..!

The thought of Dave betraying us lingered my mind, always was there and I didn't trust him; I told Jim to watch him for a reason.

Shadow - I'm going to fucking KILL whoever did this!

I kept screaming threats at the hallway. Demons and death were present in my mind. Then I heard something. A small tumble of stuff in the far end of the hallway, not distinguishable yet.

Shadow - Who the fuck is there?!

I yelled to no response. The sound kept growing closer to my door. It was better to hear now... chains.

Shadow - Mother fucker... WHO's THERE?!

I wasn't anxious, I was mad. Only thought in mind was Nadia in danger and me not being able to save her because I was done right in here, in this bedroom. Then I heard an unknown voice mumble.

Unknown voice - Sha...
Shadow - ...
Unknown voice - ...dow
Shadow - What the...

He said my name. I didn't know what the hell was happening. It had to be Dave... Or his-

Shadow - Did Dave tell you I was here?!
Unknown voice - Sha... dow.
Shadow - Mother fucker, are you Dave's boss?!
Unknown voice - Sha... dow.

He kept saying my name, only my name. He was still walking closer, slowly. Chains were still dragging on the floor at the pace of his footsteps. Then I saw a shadow on the floor, a silhouette of a man but... Disturbingly misshaped. Out of nowhere...

Unknown voice - SHA... DOW!

He screamed at the top of his lungs. The sound of the chains stopped for a second and tension built in the atmosphere. Not long after the silence of the chains, the room shook and the shadow of the man I saw was now running towards my room. I got ready to take a hit, just in case he was going to do that since I couldn't really defend myself in this situation. Who knows? Maybe I could get info out of this mother fuc-

Shadow - ...What...?

The man, or what I thought to be a man wasn't a man at all. It wasn't even human. When it entered the room running, he stopped in the middle and the stench of its own body filled the room. It was a putrid smell, it felt like the odor of burning souls screaming all the way from hell saying "it burns, please help!" I couldn't make out a face out of it but I looked at it right where it should be. I swear I saw it smile.

Shadow - What... What the fuck are you?...

It then held the chains up and leaned its head sideways, playing with the chains. It turned its head sideways and looked outside of the room signaling to the floor. I tried to look forward and I managed to see that their was still an end to the chains in the hallway laying on the floor. The chains then started to get up from the floor, slowly, as if something was picking it up on the other end. I was afraid for the first time since this all started. Then something weird, weirder that all of this, happened...

Unknown voice 2 - Baby?...
Shadow - What...?

It was Nadia's voice... I know it, I can't mistake that voice of hers.

Unknown voice 2 - BABY!

I heard her again and I got furious, looked at that MONSTER and screamed.

Shadow - LET HER GO!

He laughed. Then he pulled the chains and what I was sure was Nadia, it was... Me. At the end of the chains the monster had, their was another me. He looked tired, beaten; looking down at the ground as if surrendered.

Shadow - Hey... HEY! Don't give up... HEY!

He wouldn't look up. He was too tired to lift his head up. The monster in the room then grabbed him by the hair, pulled his head up and...

Shadow - Nadia...?

The other me turned into Nadia. I screamed, scared.

Shadow - Baby! NO! BABY! Fight, please! No, what is this?!
Nadia - My love... It's ok. I'll see you on the other side.
Shadow - NO! Don't you DARE say that! Nadia, please, NO!
Nadia - BABY... Baby...
Shadow - What?...

She looked at the monster and looked at me with tears.

Nadia - ...I love you.

The monster then cut her throat in half and her head dangled in his hand.

Shadow - NO!

The bed then started to sink into the floor and taking me with it into a dark hole in the ground. Six feet under the ground I laid in my back still tied and the monster then through her body and head on top of me. Out of nowhere, dirt started to fall on top of us and everything then went to black.

Jim - HEY!

Jim slapped me in the face, waking me up.

Shadow - What?! What?
Jim - Bro... It was just a nightmare... Don't worry.
Shadow - Dude... I...

I didn't know what to say, my heart was racing at 100 mph in a school zone.

Dave - Here...

Dave handed me a wet towel and I rubbed it on my face. I stood up from the bed and walked to the bathroom to wash my face and relax for a moment. It felt so real... Crazy, but real. After I relaxed a bit, I gathered my thoughts and was ready, I talked to them again.

Shadow - Ok, I'm good.
Jim - Great.
Shadow - What time is it?
Dave - 7:45 pm
Shadow - Ok, let's roll.

We went down to the living room.

Shadow - Did you take your C4 off?
Dave - Yeah.
Jim - Yeah, I told him to do it.
Shadow - Ok, where is it?
Dave - Truck.
Shadow - Ok. What house is next?
Jim - Yeah, what's next?
Dave - ...The boss.